Outside of Stephen Curry with the Warriors, no current NBA player personifies enduring loyalty to a franchise and fanbase than Damian Lillard.
Since being drafted by Portland with the sixth pick in the 2012 NBA Draft, Lillard has carved out a Hall of Fame career in the only NBA city he's called home. A member of the 75th anniversary team, a seven-time All-Star selection and Portland's all-time leading scorer, Lillard has by almost every measure secured an amazing career.
Almost.
When NBA pundits — media, fans, former players, everyone — talk about legends of the game, so many times it all comes back to one word: rings.
And while ring culture is not exclusive to basketball (hello, Dan Marino!), the obsession with winning championships above all else does seem to permeate within NBA circles more than others. It's a topic that Lillard weighed in on during his podcast appearance this week on The Old Man and the Three with JJ Redick and Tommy Alter.
"The NBA I play in now is not the NBA that I came into... I feel like I play for the love of the game. I want the competition, I want to know what it feels like to win, I want to see my teammates do well, I want to see my teammates get paid. I enjoy the bonding part of it... But now it's like 'that don't count. Regular season don't count. Get a ring.'"
Dame with some thoughts on the current discourse around the NBA and why he has peace @Dame_Lillard. Full episode drops tomorrow morning. pic.twitter.com/Kr9GNc0mlN
— JJ Redick (@jj_redick) March 14, 2023
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In the clip above — which you should listen to in addition to the entire podcast episode — Lillard and Redick shared their thoughts on not only ring culture, but the oft-rehashed and never-ending narratives around MVP debates, player comparisons and the general 'what-have-you-done-for-me-lately' hot take circus that often fuels the NBA discourse.
And Lillard is absolutely right.
Although he hasn't carried the Blazers back to the NBA Finals — the franchise last made it there in 1992 when Lillard was not yet two years old — he has enjoyed a modicum of success with eight playoff appearances and a trip to the Conference Finals in 2019. But it's seemingly never enough for the voices who often call for Lillard to seek out greener grass.
Why isn't it enough to settle in one city and embrace a community for an entire career?
Why isn't it enough to be universally respected as one of the NBA's most beloved teammates?
Why isn't it enough to be the only franchise to make the playoffs every year from 2014 to 2021?
Why isn't it enough to be on pace to become the second or third all-time leader in 3-pointers?
Why isn't it enough to earn nearly a quarter of a billion dollars playing basketball, setting up his family for generations to come?
Why isn't it enough to be one of a very select group of stars that in an age of All-Star musical chairs, opts for peace?
To be fair, it's not always been smooth sailing. But that's life. Ask any married couple, long-time friends or anyone who has worked someplace for a long time.
On the heels of a second consecutive first round sweep in 2018, Lillard famously met with owner Paul Allen in 2018 in a secret meeting to "spark that urgency" within the front office. And throughout the years, there have been other tumultuous moments of organizational frustration from the firing of GM Neil Olshey amidst reports of a toxic workplace to the hiring of head coach Chauncey Billups.
At every turn, Lillard invariably faces the same questions about his future, which has become almost a semi-annual rite of passage for the bevy of Trail Blazers beat writers. And at every turn, Lillard graciously articulates a calm and measured confidence that is nothing short of awe-inspiring.
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Redick himself praised Lillard for his reasoned approach while also pointing out the quandary facing players like Lillard who face the perpetual questions about ring chasing.
"Regardless of what you decide to do by the way, you're going to be criticized for it. I can give you multiple examples off the top of my head where someone couldn't win a ring, and they go team up with a superstar, and when they win it, it gets discredited."
(Editor's note: You can close your eyes and see Kevin Durant, LeBron James and Clyde Drexler among others nodding furiously.)
Lillard then jumped on the other side of the catch-22: "Or they go and don't win it, and now they look crazy."
Regardless of whether you're a Blazers fan, Lillard's thoughtful conversation with Redick is a must-listen and certainly worthy of your time. Because the next time the "rings or bust" crowd gets fired up about Lillard, James Harden, Chris Paul, Joel Embiid, Nikola Jokic or any of the other best players without a ring, this episode will serve as a casual reminder in the back of your head that there's far more to an NBA legacy than jewelry.
